Masashi Kato wins Leslie Birkland award

Masashi Kato, HCDE Senior Lecturer and Associate Director of the Technical Japanese Program, has been awarded the 2014 Leslie Birkland Award for Leadership and Excellence in Japanese Education.

The Leslie Birkland award is presented to one member of the Japanese teaching community in Washington State each year by the Washington Association of Teachers of Japanese (WATJ). Yoshitaka Inoue, President of WATJ, wrote:

Kato sensei is known for his dedication to teaching Japanese, his passion for working with students, and his exceptional ability to lead the Japanese-teaching community. As one of the founding members of the WATJ, Kato sensei was implemental in developing our Japanese Immersion Camp, Pedagogy Workshop, and so many different programs. He has served as the chair of Washington State Advocacy Team and is currently serving on the organizing committee for the Hyogo Business & Cultural Center-sponsored Speech & Skit Contest. His long-term commitment to the development of Japanese-teaching is evidenced by his roles as board member for the Washington Association of Foreign Language Teachers and for WATJ … We are pleased to recognize Mr. Kato’s leadership.